"Hackers accessed the data of up to 100,000 people through a tool that helps students get financial aid."

'In September, he said, his agency discovered that fraudsters could use someone's personal data to fill out a financial aid application, and the "Data Retrieval Tool" would populate the application with tax information.

'That information could be used to file false tax returns. The commissioner said fewer than 8,000 of these returns were processed, and refunds were issued totaling $30 million.

'The tool is part of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) system, which is used to determine how much financial aid students receive for college.'